


The Strangers' Dawn

by Pynkest_of_Fae



Series: The Aberrant Paragons of Skyrim [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Disabled Character, F/M, Fantasy Racism, Magic-Users, Magical Accidents, Modern Girl in Skyrim, Modern Girl in Tamriel, Multi, Muteness, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period-Typical Sexism, Portal Fantasy, Pre-Skyrim Main Quest, Rating May Change, Reluctant Dovahkiin | Dragonborn, Skyrim Main Quest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27517264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pynkest_of_Fae/pseuds/Pynkest_of_Fae
Summary: Inspired partly by the Hero series, by ScriptrixDraconum, this is a tale about a woman getting trapped in Skyrim, with no knowledge of the world that she finds herself in. In a timeline different from our own, where the Elder Scrolls series does not exist, Chilali Micheals is completely lost when thrust into the world of Nirn.Chilali was a studious and somewhat snarky girl, only occasionally privy to flights of fancy. She never had lofty goals and certainly never imagined being a “hero.”Gelunok is another soul who never saw himself as a hero either. A voiceless and pale orc, shunned by his own kind and living in the wilderness... He never imagined himself to be anyone of importance.But as the days pass, the two would learn that fate can change your life in an instant. If either of them had known that just one day could change their lives forever, they would have just stayed in bed.TLDR: An anxious yet rather vocal nerd, who doesn’t believe in fantasy, becomes an unlikely to an outcast orc. This story is the first in a series of adventures that these two find themselves in. Lots of new experiences are abound for this duo. Fate will have interesting plans, indeed.
Series: The Aberrant Paragons of Skyrim [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2011165
Comments: 12
Kudos: 18





	1. An Awful Vacation

It all started innocently enough, with Chilali Micheals going on vacation with her family. Most families pick a common place to go to for vacation, like Orlando or Vegas. That is where her mother often dragged the family off to, and that was fine. It was predictable. Unfortunately, this year, the planning of the family trip had been allocated to the young lady’s cousin. This particular cousin had rather eccentric ideas of fun, which lead to rather odd and unusual plans. Thus it was decided that Chilali, her mother, her uncle, and her cousin, would all spend the next week at a hotel, which just so happened to be in close proximity to a Renaissance Faire. 

A week at a Ren Faire was far from how this young woman wanted to spend her time, but there was no getting out of the situation. So, she at least tried to enjoy herself. She went along with the family, yet refused to don some of more the ridiculous attire one would typically see at fairs. She instead wore an outfit that she deemed tolerable. Then she let herself get dragged through the festivities by her cousin. The fair itself was… okay, not terrible or anything. The Faire grounds were very large, sprawling and rather well up-kept. What bothered our dissatisfied damsel was the ‘ridiculousness,’ of certain things. Like, everyone prancing around in costumes seemed so childish to her. She hardly even wanted to wear the costume she wore herself. She had opted of something more modern than a princess dress. Another thing that she disliked was the fact that so many people dressed up like something out of Lord of the Rings, rather than real, medieval attire. She didn’t care for the idea of fantasy creatures existing. Dragons, elves, and dryads? Bah.

Chilali Micheals wasn’t completely opposed to to works of fiction though. She enjoyed books, honestly. However, she could never get herself to become absorbed in fantasy novels as much as most people. She just never cared for them. Even sci-fi would feel more realistic to her. She just couldn’t agree with the thought of the world being littered with fairy tale creatures born of nonsense. That’s not to say that she hates those things, but she just found it to be so….unrealistic. Aliens, she could believe in, as hypocritical the statement may be. The universe is vast enough to hold incredible life on some distant planet, in some microscopic level at least. But non-human intelligent races, on her own Earth? No. There was no sort of proof in her mind that such things could ever exist here. Nevertheless, she would have to find some way to enjoy herself since she’s stuck here. 

“Hey, Mika?” She asked as she called to her cousin, who was dressed like a fairy queen. 

“Yes, Chichi?” her cousin replied, annoying her with that childish nickname.

“I’m a little bored. Show me something I’d like?” 

“Sure! There’s gotta be some stuff you’ll like, Miss Killjoy,” the cousin replied before grabbing her by the hand and running off into the sea of fair-goers.

While Mika led a tour of the fair, Chilali took in the sights. The less fantastical parts of the fair are what caught her interest. There were many activities at the faire, ranging from childish attention grabbers like storytelling with an elven princess, to more action-oriented things like jousting.

The few activities that they ended up agreeing on doing were horse riding, axe throwing, mock battles and archery. Horse riding came first, and went like a breeze. Having ‘that good ol’ native blood,’ as Mika’s father would say, the man had taught his daughter and niece to ride horses when they were children. The activity brought the both of the girls a bit of nostalgia. Next came the axe throwing. This task, the girls were rather bad at. Mika’s aim was awful, whereas Chilali couldn’t throw far enough. They gave up very fast and went on to the next thing. The women had even worse luck with the faux battlement than with the axe-throwing. For a fight that was fake, the ‘king’s guards’ were intense; they were clearly skilled at swordsmanship and bested everyone who came their way. Mika and Chilali decided to not join the fray, instead heading over to the archery grounds. The pacing of this event was much more relaxed, a marksman teaching everyone how to hold a bow and such. Much to the excitement and surprise of the girls, once they’d finished the rounds with the traditional bow and arrow, they were allowed to use real crossbows. _‘I feel like Hawkeye,’_ chuckled Chilali in her head as she fired away with the crossbow. Her air was rather good since she’d been on her old school’s marksmanship team.

Later in the day, after having a sufficient amount of fun, it came time to eat. She and her family followed many other faire-goers into the large castle at the edge of the fairgrounds. It was an authentic old-fashioned castle, which Chilali had to admit was rather beautiful despite the tacky ren faire banners strung throughout it. Everyone gathered in the grand hall, for what was claimed to be a royal feast. The food itself was pleasant, but eating a chicken with your bare hands while you chugged a tankard of some unknown beverage was a sight that this continuously displeased damsel could not stomach for very long. Once the meal was over, her family split off again. Her mother and uncle went to the faire’s tavern. Meanwhile Mika was busy in the petting zoo, cuddling a horse who looked very upset to have a horn glued onto his forehead, leaving her dear cousin all by herself.

Chilali decided to spend her moments of solitary by relaxing. She ventured off for someplace to unwind. She settled on sitting down near a large lake, near the castle. She had her eyes closed, letting her mind ease, when she was suddenly interrupted by a very loud mouthed man. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around for the source of her irritation. An older man, in garish attire, was swaying and chuckling as he tried to catch the attention of passersby.

“Answer my riddle and win a prize!” the seemingly drunk man declared. gestured with his cane at people. He soon caught Chilali’s gaze. “You! Lassie, come solve my rrrriddle,” he demanded with a laugh. Normally, she knew better than to talk to drunks or crazies, but she wanted him to shut up. She approached him cautiously, taking in the sight of him. He wore a loudly colored, yet still well made, coat. He was tall and possessed a disheveled sort of handsomeness in his aged face along with sharp eyes. His voice was thick, and she was unable to discern the exact accent, like a vile mixture of irish and scot.

“What sort of riddle is this, and what’s the prize?” Chilali inquired, her brow raised in skepticism at him.  
“Oh, ‘tis nothing hard,” he said. “And the prize is amazing! A ticket to adventure!”

She rolled her eyes at his spiel. “Go ahead and ask me the riddle,” she said.

“Very well then… Riddle me this, lassie: I am light, lighter than a feather,” he started, giving a slight dramatic pause, “ However, not even the strongest person can hold me for longer than five minutes. What am I?”

Chilali thought briefly and groaned. That riddle was so simple. “You’re a breath,” she said plainly.

The old man smirked. “Correct! Ye win the prize,” he said as he chuckled and patted her roughly on the back. He slipped a satchel onto her. She examined the bag in confusion. It was a leather satchel, with a three-faced head embellished on the flap.

“This is my ticket to adventure?” She asked in annoyance at the item.

The man chuckled, devolving into a creepy laugh. “Oh, no no, my dear poppet,” he said. He stepped closer to her, which in turn made her back up. “But every good adventurer needs a fancy knapsack like this,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Your prize has yet to come,” he said. The girl failed to notice how oddly quiet everything around her grew, as if they were the only souls around. He gripped onto her collar and pulled her forward roughly. He leaned in. “You guessed the right answer to my riddle: breath…”

“Now to get your prize--” he said before whispering in her ear, “let’s see how long you can hold yours.” And before she could pull away or even scream, he shoved her backwards roughly. She lost her balance, falling into the lake behind her, the bag suddenly feeling heavier, dragging her down. 

The last thing she recalled before blacking out was the maniacal laughter of the strange man, echoing in her head as his warped image faded the further she dropped into the depths.


	2. Into The Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chilali wakes up in a strange new environment. She has no idea where she is or how she got there, but has an idea of who to blame. She ventures into the unknown wilderness and and immediately runs into trouble.

All that surrounded her was darkness.  
A darkness that filled her senses, consuming her. She felt weightless yet heavy simultaneously. Soon, she found herself moving. Towards what, she did not know. But it had to be better than the numbness burning in her chest.

Chilali emerged from the water, gasping, heaving and coughing. She expelled a fair amount of water from her gullet before she could regain her voice.

“What the fuck was that for?!” She cursed into the ether. She stood up and shook herself off. She groaned and looked around in confusion, tugging her soaked hood off of her head, letting her hair hang free. “...and where the hell am I?” she asked herself as she realized that she definitely was not at the faire anymore.

As she looked around, she noticed that she was now on a little island in a pond. She looked at the water from whence she emerged in confusion. How on earth did she end up here? _‘Did I get dragged out?’_ She thought to herself for a moment. No, that would be illogical. This pond was clearly not connected to any other body of water. Did she get kidnapped, maybe? Probably. She rubbed her temples in frustration. She decided to stand up and try to get her bearings. Her soggy clothes were drying unusually fast as she moved. She eyed the bag that was strapped to her while she moved. The tri-faced satchel that the crazy old man had given her. She frowned at the bag in irritation. Whenever she finds that loon again, she’ll beat his face in.

She looked around the little island that she was on. There wasn’t much around aside from trees that gave off an uncomfortable vibe. It was like they were watching her. She wanted to find a way to leave soon. “There’s got to be something that can help me out,” she muttered to herself. She then saw an old boat with an oar, but nothing else useful. She shrugged and began to push the boat off of the land. She hopped into it and started to row. She can’t swim, she definitely wasn’t going to try and get across without this. She disembarked on the edge of the pond and climbed back out. She then started to walk away. She wasn’t sure where she was going. 

The lost girl hoped that she would find some civilization eventually, if she keeps going straight. She wished to find it fast though, because the ground is uneven and it was already hurting her legs.

She ended up walking for a fairly long time. It felt like an hour. An hour of seeing nothing but nature, rocks, and the occasional snake that she had to make wide births to avoid. Soon she saw a river come into view. Following the river trail, she noticed some odd foliage. She could swear she heard the plants singing. She shook her head. “You can’t go crazy out here, Chi,” she told herself as she ventured onward.

While she was walking, she spotted a fox running through the grass. She watched it for a little while. She never gets to see animals like that, living in LA, so it felt oddly calming. She eyed the little critter for a while. She then watched it run past a deer in the distance. She felt giddy internally, seeing the animals. It made her feel less anxious about how lost she was. She was enjoying her own, personal, live nature documentary… until a giant creature suddenly leapt out of the brush and attacked the deer.

She watched in shock as it killed and ate the deer. She was stiff with fear. Her eyes darted over the animal in panic and confusion. It looked like…. a saber tooth? But that couldn’t be right. Those are extinct, but when she spied the two long protruding tusks, she couldn’t think of it as anything else. It had yet to notice her, so she started to move faster to get away. She unfortunately stepped on a field mouse which made a terrible screech as it was trampled under foot. She felt terrible for the poor thing but that was quickly overpowered by terror as she heard and saw the saber toothed feline look at her. “Shit—“

She sprinted as fast as possible, trying to get away from it. She was running faster than she thought she could, but the beast was gaining on her. As she ran, she caught sight of a rundown looking shack.  
“A building!” she exclaimed, “I pray to God someone’s there. And I hope they have a gun.” Much to her disappointment, when she ran into the shack, she didn’t see anyone there. “Shit!”

She turned around quickly and ran back out of the shack. She then saw the saber toothed tiger wasn’t too far away from her. She started running but immediately tripped over a big river crab. “Fuck!” She screeched out as she fell. She rolled over on her back, frozen in fear as she saw the beast approaching. She started crying from fright. _‘I’m too young to die’_ she thought. _‘Dont let this thing kill me. Don’t let me die because I fell down, like a cheap horror movie.’_

As if by miracle, something or someone swooped out of nowhere, rushing the giant cat’s side. She soon realized it was a person, or at least something human-ish. A very large figure had knocked the beast over before brandishing a very large axe of some kind. She watched in horror, yet felt some gratitude as this brute of a person killed the saber toothed monster. She was still in shock, unable to stand when the figure turned towards her now. She looked afraid again as she met her would-be rescuer’s face.

This was not a human… but instead a tall and imposing monstrous hybrid of some sort, like out of a movie. It was clearly male, clothes now in tatters from the fight, blood dripping off his skin. He had a face that wasn’t quite human, a wide and upturned nose with pale eyes. Another striking feature was that, like the beast he’d just slain, he had a pair of crooked tusks protruding from his face. It immediately brought the image of the giant cat into her mind. Although, these tusks were pointed upward instead of down. He began to walk towards Chilali. She felt afraid. Who’s to say that this... thing, wouldn’t try to attack her like it did the giant cat? She wasn’t keen on finding out the answer. She scrambled backwards, still too stunned to stand. The beastly man reached out towards her with bloodied hands. Unable to think of anything else to do, the young woman let out an ear-splitting scream.... and then she fainted. 


	3. Colliding Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The “tusked monster” man’s view of events. He finds a stranger essentially at his feet, and has to figure out how to help her. He’s not very happy about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the holiday was good for everyone, no matter how you celebrate it.
> 
> I also hope you enjoy this chapter

This was supposed to be a normal day. But unfortunately, it seemed the gods had other plans for a certain man. Gelunok Gro-Nil does not know why the gods, or maybe even the Daedra, felt that a stranger should be dropped at _his_ feet, of all people. He doesn’t think he’ll ever understand. As he thinks back on it, he feels like he should’ve just stayed in bed today…

The strangeness all started when he was out on his way back home from the mill. He was almost back home when, up head, he saw something out of the ordinary. A girl running like her life depended on it. She was a young woman, he couldn’t tell how old, but younger than him. He also saw that she was rather short. Appearance aside, this girl was clearly in distress. She ran into the shack that Gelunok calls his home, only to immediately run back out of it. The orc then saw what it was that the girl was running from. A large feline beast with enormous tusks… A saber cat.

He knew that the beast would surely kill the girl if it caught her. He had to do something. He acted on impulse, rushing to the girl’s aid. He managed to catch the wild cat off guard, rushing its side, attacking it with a woodcutting axe. It wasn’t the best weapon but it made do. While overcome by the blinding rage that his people are prone to, he successfully managed to kill the saber cat and thus save the girl’s life. As his fury subsided, he turned to the woman. He had intended to check and see if the shaking woman was hurt. He hadn’t thought about how his appearance would startle her. When he had reached out to her, she screamed and collapsed. Now he felt a bit offended. That was not the reaction he expected after rescuing her.

He groaned in annoyance at himself for scaring the girl into fainting. He took off the tattered shirt he wore and dried his hands of Saber blood. He then picked up and carried the stranger back into his shack. He laid her down on the bed and gave a quick search over her, making sure she wasn’t hurt. It was during this time that he began to notice just how odd his ‘guest’ really was. She was clearly short for her age although he couldn’t place how old she was exactly. He also took in her features and attire. She had soft, red-brown skin, which had made him first assume her to be a Redguard, the dark-skinned desert folk. Her facial structure wasn’t quite right though, she lacked the full darkness a true Redguard possesses, her nose being a bit too strong and her cheekbones oddly prominent. Perhaps she’s of mixed blood? Her hair was bizarre as well. One side of her hair was a dark brown shade, almost black, whereas the other half was as white as snow. Most people would find that highly unnatural. He isn’t one to dislike paleness though, given his own body’s pale hue. He stopped focusing on her face and moved his attention to her whole form. She possessed a plumpness to her bodice, having a pudgy stomach and full hips which would suggest that she is wealthy. His suspicion was furthered to the idea when he noticed that she wore golden jewelry on her ears and neck. She definitely wasn’t poor, with treasures like those. She could be a nobleman’s daughter, possibly. But he could not be certain. If she was indeed noble, it made little sense that she had no guards to watch her. Why was she unattended? Not only was she alone, but alone and unarmed, in the middle of wildness. He hadn’t found any weapons on the ground outside. It all felt amiss. Everything about her was strange.

His train of thought was interrupted when he suddenly remembered that he had to do something about the beast he’d just slain. He couldn’t just leave a dead saber cat in front of his home. He headed outside and grabbed his axe again. He then went about the long task of chopping the carcass up into smaller pieces. There’s no sense in wasting perfectly good meat. Cat certainly isn’t a common food, but it would keep him fed far longer than a single deer would. Plus he knows his unconscious ‘companion’ will probably be hungry when she awakes. Who knows how long she’s been running through the wilderness?

By the time the girl awoke, the sun had gone down. The orc had finished chopping up about half of the saber cat and gotten it into consumable pieces. He had taken a portion of the meat and cooked it over his fireplace. A meal for two was laid on the table.

The girl was apparently still uneasy. She looked around curiously, staring awkwardly at Gelunok while she approached. She sat down at the table, but wasn’t eating. It became evident that she was in a rather chatty mood. She asked many questions to the orc, most of which confused him. 

“Where the hell am I?” and “How’d I get here?” were her main questions. He very well couldn’t answer the second inquiry. He had no idea how she ended up in this part of Eastmarch . As for the first, it was just odd. He decided that she must have amnesia or something, if she can’t remember where she was. He rolled his eyes and got up, grabbing a piece of paper. He hastily scribbled down his responses to her incessant questions. At least he knows how to write Common, rather than his replies being in Orcish. He handed her the paper once he’d finished writing.

She stared at the parchment for a long time, her brow furrowed. “...I can’t read anything on here,” he heard her mumble, much to his dismay. ‘Ugh, great,’ he thought. Either this girl is stupid or illiterate. Everyone, outside of hermits and stronghold-dwellers, could understand the Common language. Hell, she spoke in it, why couldn’t she read it? His penmanship wasn’t _that_ bad. Regardless, Gelunok was annoyed by the predicament. He simply tossed the paper into the fire since she apparently had no use for it. He then went back to the table and started eating.

“Why’d you do that? What language was that in? Can you even understand me?” The mouthy girl asked. He gave a curt nod of his head. ‘Yes,’ the orc thought with irritation. He can very much hear and understand her, but she wouldn’t be able to understand his notes. He sighed and tuned her out as she kept talking to him. He stared blankly out of the window. The sun was setting by now. He watched as the lack of light darkened the sky. This was going to be a long night.


	4. Barriers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chilali learns why her associate has been so quiet with her
> 
> Then she figures out a different way that they can communicate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whenever sign language is used in this story, it be shown as brackets, for simplicity sake
> 
> {example}

After getting nowhere with asking the tusked man questions, Chilali got quiet for a moment. She huffed and narrowed her eyes at him. This earned her a glare from him in response. She sighed and slumped in her seat. She then tried to recall the very limited knowledge she has of any languages that weren’t English. She rolled her eyes and then asked two more questions. “Unaongea kiswahili?... Or maybe uh... Hablas español?” She inquired, low on ideas. Seeing him look at her in great confusion, she groaned in irritation. 

“Why won’t you talk?!” She asked exasperatedly. The question was met with annoyance from the man she’s been pestering. She watched him throw up his hands in irritation before shaking his head. He made an X with his arms and then gestured at his throat. 

The girl’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait.... are you saying that you.... _can’t_ talk?” She asked. He gave an exhausted looking nod. She felt bad now. She’s been barking questions at him like he was in the wrong for not answering.

“Oh...” she said softly. She cleared her throat. “I had no idea. I just thought you were ignoring me on purpose,” she explained. She sighed and looked slightly sheepish and ashamed. “Um, sorry if I’ve been talking too much... I’m just having a very terrible day. I have no idea where I am, how I got here or what day it even is,” she said. “Like, is it still the 10th or what?” The man gave a slight nod. Chilali relaxed slightly. “Oh? Good... at least I know I haven’t been passed out for a long time.”

She then paused as she gathered her thoughts. She scoffed quietly. “At least that’s one thing I know. There’s so much I don’t know right now and it sucks. I’m not even sure what _you_ are,” she said, earning a slight glare in response. “I just mean— you look like something out of a book. The tusks, the skin and all.... It’s unreal.”

“Unreal,” she mumbled once more. “Saber tooth cats, strange tusked wild men,” she said to herself, though the aforementioned ‘wild man’ could definitely still hear her. “It’s like I’m in a fantasy movie. It’s crazy.” Yeah, crazy... She then thought about that crazy man she met before she’d passed out the first time. Back at the Ren Faire. He did say something about her going on an adventure. Maybe this was what he’d meant? But it just didn’t mean sense. She then paused and felt on her hip briefly. She looked down, not seeing the odd satchel she’d been wearing. She then looked around and gave a brief sigh of relief as she saw it wasn’t gone. It was just on a hook on the wall. She walked over and grabbed it. She didn’t know why she cared about it, it was just a strange gift from a crazy person, but it was still her only connection to her home right now.

She held the satchel in her hands, staring at it for a moment. The trifaced emblem seemed particularly shiny at the moment. She shook her head to brush the thought away. She then realized she never actually checked inside of the bag. It didn’t feel heavy though, but didn’t feel empty either. She opened it up and soon looked confused. There was nothing inside. She felt around the lining and soon looked shocked as the inside of the satchel began to glow, her hand diss appearing in the light. Her arm proceeded to go far deeper than the confines of the bag should allow. When she pulled her arm out, she found a note. To her relief, it was written in English, albeit with sloppy handwriting. She read the note to herself, silently.

>   
>  Dear person who happened upon this letter, it is your lucky day! Or your unluckiest, perhaps? That all depends on how things go. Back to the point, I have decided to grant one person from your fascinating but mundane world to be brought to Nirn. Oh the friends you’ll make and sights you’ll see! Isn’t that exciting? You’ll find me again when I’m ready to be found. But I’ll be watching you anyway. I’m curious and curiouser how you’ll fair. Maybe you’ll be High King when I find you? Oh that would tickle me endlessly to see the world go mad over you! Then again, you may just die as soon as you enter Skyrim, if that’s the case then you’ll never even see this note. But that’s the fun I’m not knowing! Have fun, or not. And if you do survive, keep an eye out for the Others. They may find you very interesting and fight over this shiny new toy that you are. And I do love a good fight...

The note ended in a signature, but Chilali unfortunately could not understand the name, due to how sloppy it was written. But a question she had was answered. It _was_ the old man who brought her here, whenever “here” is exactly. She still couldn’t wrap her head around precisely how it was done though. Neither could she really understand who else would be apparently interested in her. 

After her reading was ended, she sat the paper down on a nightstand and sighed. She tried to keep composure, despite the dread she felt inside after reading the odd note. She did not want to meet whoever may search for her, she did not want to die or become a ‘king’ either. Well, maybe the royalty thing didn’t sound so bad. But she knows nothing about this place. She can’t rule jack-crap! 

She directed her attention back to the tusked man. She sighed quietly. If she’s to survive, she should try to figure out a way to actually communicate with this man who saved her life. He’s her only reference point for safety at the moment. She walked back over to where he was and sat down at the table. She sighed quietly. She was silent, thinking, while the man simply stared at her, possibly wondering what was on her mind. She soon got an idea. She looked up at him. “Can you sign?” She asked him.

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

“Sign language,” she said, correcting herself. When he still looked confused, she sighed and then proceeded to start off by telling him what her name is. {Chilali} she spelled out, using sign language. “Chilali— that’s my name.”

He seemed fascinated by her actions. She then proceeded to say/sign the alphabet for him. Once she did that, she asked him to sign his name. He was a fast learner it seems.

{Gelunok} he signed to her. 

“Gelunok?” She asked, his name sounding slightly odd on her tongue. 

Gelunok nodded his head, content with the fact that she was able to understand that. He never thought of using his fingers to ‘talk’. He typically just wrote things down, since he knew that most of the people he had contact with could all understand Common. This new way of communicating was interesting to him. He wondered what other words she could do him. His inquiry was soon resolved, as she proceeded to explain that she knows some simple words that they could use so he could speak with her. 

The next half hour or so was spent by Chilali teaching Gelunok several basic words and sentences in sign language. Her own knowledge of signing was lackluster. She’d only recently picked up the language, since her mother recently became deaf. Despite her small well of knowledge, she could tell that the orc felt grateful for it regardless. It gave her a way to talk with him, so he didn’t care if it was rather broken speech.

After the lesson was over, the girl was beginning to feel tired. She yawned and stretched. Gelunok let out a quiet huff. He glanced at the bed and then back at Chilali. He grumbled and then asked her a question, using the signs he’d been taught. {Bed now?}

Chilali shook her head defiantly. “No, no,” she said before yawning once more, “I’m not tired,” she lied. 

This made the orc look at her in mild annoyance. Why did she have to be stubborn. He shrugged and then stood up. {Bed now, for me} was what he said. He walked off and grabbed some pears from a closet and laid them on the floor. He then laid down on them, apparently going to sleep there.

Once she saw that he was apparently giving her the use of his bed, she mumbled thanks, before climbing under the cover. It wasn’t very comfortable, the mattress being full of what was most likely hay. Regardless, she soon found herself drifted off to sleep. 

Gelunok had yet to join her in slumber. He got off of his makeshift cot and stood by the bed. He watched her sleeping for a little while. He wondered what he was going to do with her. She doesn’t look like she has anywhere to go, and he can’t just keep her in his shack forever. It was too small for just him, let alone another person. He decided that he’d try to find her some sort of help tomorrow. Once he made up his mind, he got back into his pile of pelts and fell asleep. He’s got a busy day ahead of him, tomorrow.


	5. A New Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gelunok decides to help Chilali by finding out where he can take her to get help

Morning eventually came. Sunlight slowly poured into the room, through the shack’s windows. The pale orc was the first to awaken. Gelunok rose from his makeshift cot and stretched, yawning silently. He glanced over at Chilali, who was still asleep and currently drooling onto the mattress. The orc expressed a slight grimace of annoyance before he refocused himself. He had plans today. He needed to figure out a more permanent solution to dealing with his friend— no, not even a friend. He just met her, and she probably wouldn’t be chummy with a ‘wild man’ anyway. She’s just an issue to be dealt with, he told himself. 

He gathered supplies while the girl slumbered. He packed away some food, his axe, a blank book, a few charcoal pieces, and extra clothes. He did not know if he would even need all of these things while traveling with the girl, but felt that it was better to bring the items and not need them than to need them but not have them. After he finished packing he decided it was time to wake the sleeping girl.

He eased his way over to the bed and then went about shaking the girl’s side. She soon woke up, with a slight jolt. She sat up, groaning softly and stretching. Her hair was messily dangling in her face before she brushed it away.

Chilali rubbed her eyes, looking at him with a slightly groggy gaze. “.... Good Morning?” She said, a hint of unease in her voice. The girl was still very much upset with being in an unknown land, and with a stranger watching her, but she wouldn’t let her panic about it. She may as well be civil until she can figure out a way home. “Did you… sleep good?” She inquired awkwardly as she glanced at the discarded pelts and blanket that the man had slept on.

The tusked man thought for a moment, before replying, not sure if he remembered the ‘finger-words’ correctly. Sign language was very foreign to him still, but it felt a little easier each time he used it. { Sleep was okay } he signed to the girl. “Oh? Well that’s good at least,” Chilali responded. She climbed out of bed and noticed the bag that her associate had packed, which was placed alongside her own satchel. “Um… we’re somewhere?” She asked in a somewhat confused tone as she looked back at him. He simply nodded his head in response.

Gelunok then elaborated by signing, although he lacked all the words that he needed. {You and me, go} was his response, although he wasn’t sure how to properly end the sentence. He knows that Chilali has poor knowledge of her surroundings, so he felt that spelling out the location wouldn’t do any good. He quickly looked for a map and then laid it out on the table. He gestured for her to come closer. She did as told.  
He started off by pointing to a small drawing of a shack by a river. “Oh, that’s here, where you live, right?” She inquired, to which he nodded in response. He then slowly trailed a line through the map with his sharp nail, moving from the shack to a different area, marked by a drawing of a mill. He watched as she looked at the map skeptically. “A mill? What would we find there?” She asked, to which the orc simply signed {Help}.

After explainig where they would be going, Gelunok pulled the backpack on and glanced at the door of his home before looking back at Chilali. “Oh we’re leaving right now?.... Okay,” said the girl. She inwardly objected to doing anything without first having breakfast or a shower but did not protest too much. The orc then pushed the girl out of his shack, while she put her satchel on. He then took lead, walking in the direction of the mill.  
Gelunok quietly hoped that the mill runner would be in a courteous mood. He knew the woman was civil, but he had no idea how she would react to his sudden traveling companion. 

After crossing a few miles of wilderness, and making several tedious stops due to a certain girl getting tired very fast, the pair arrived at a lumber mill. The mill was rather quiet, there only being one person in sight aside from the pair. A middle aged woman with strong arms was toiling away, getting logs moved. She stopped her work when she caught sight of the orc. “Oh?... Hello. I wasn’t expecting you today. Although I do appreciate any help you give,” said the woman as she dusted her hands on her apron. She’d yet to notice the woman who accompanied him. She had began approaching when she saw the diminutive damsel that stood behind the orc. Her gaze turned curious yet mildly confused as she got closer to them. Chilali took the time to give the woman a quick once-over in return, feeling slightly relieved at seeing another ‘normal’ person. The older woman was strong and on the tall side, with dark hair and browned skin. “Who might this be? A new friend? She’s certainly not going to help lift logs,” she remarked with a chuckle.

Gelunok cleared his throat reflexively and grunted softly. He pulled out his book and charcoal stick before hastily writing a reply. He soon handed her the paper.

> I found her outside my home yesterday. She was getting chased by a saber cat. She would have been eaten if I hadn’t found her. I don’t know where she’s from or how she got here. So far, I practically only know her name, Chilali. 

“By the Gods… well that’s one way to meet a woman,” the mill owner retorted with an awkward chuckle. She then looked down at the girl in question. “It’s… nice to meet you, Chill-lolly,” the woman said, butchering the pronunciation. “I’m Gilfre Albero, and I own this mill.” Gilfre then cleared her throat. “How’d you end up running into a big-toothed beast?— And a saber cat, for that matter?” She asked, joking about Gelunok, who wasn’t very amused.

Chilali sighed and huffed. She looked up at Gilfre. “I… don’t know. I was on a vacation.” She said, “A vacation,” she repeated with mild distress. “It was supposed to be fun— Ugh, anyway. The last thing I recall was being with my family and then somehow waking up in a pond in the middle of nowhere. So I started to look for help and unfortunately found that uh...saber cat. I’m really lucky that Gelunok saved me.” 

“A vacation?” Gilfre questioned. “Where were you headed? The border is a ways from here and I know nobody would be taking a trip in the middle of a war anyway…”  
“I was in Los Angeles— wait what was that about a war?” Chilali asked a little too loud.  
“The...war between the rebels and the empire, child. The one that’s been going on for years— And I’ve never heard of a… Loss Angels? Did you hit your head when you were running, love?” Gilfre inquired, bending down and pushing the girl’s hood off to feel her forehead and checked for any knots. The woman then looked shocked by the girl’s hair and jewelry. Her face contorted briefly. “Where exactly were you from, hm?” She asked now.

Chilali replied “A-America. I’m American— I live in California,” she said before pausing, “Am I… in a whole other country?!” Chilali asked, breathing a bit fast as she was realizing she’s way farther from home than she thought. 

Gilfre and Gelunok felt concerned and confused by Chilali’s responses. Gilfre sighed and tried to keep talking to this odd, lost girl calmly. “You’re in Skyrim, Chilly,” she said, still getting her name wrong, or maybe just using a nickname now. “I’ve never heard of any...California. You must be very far from home, indeed.” Gilfre then looked to her orcish associate defeatedly. “I cant help your friend. She’s… an interesting case, but I think you could find help somewhere else. There’s a mining settlement not too far away from here. Darkwater Crossing’s the name. Soldiers come through it often. You could try there and see if anyone will be willing to help a lost lamb like her.”  
Gelunok let out a faint sigh, his expression in a slight grimace. He wasn’t keen on the idea of having to deal with those sort of people. But he didn’t have much choice. He eventually nodded his head in agreement.  
“Good. Now, when you get to Dark Water, ask for a man named Sondas. He’s a good chap, and could find you some spare lodging, said the woman. Gilfre said while marking the location of the settlement on the orc’s map. She then looked back at Chilali. “Best of luck to you, child. I hope you’ll find your family again.”

Chilali gave an awkward little smile. “Um, thanks. I hope so too—“ she said, cutting herself short. “Oh and how long will it take to get there? I’m already getting tired,” she asked the woman.  
“Not too long. Half day’s journey. Would be faster by horse but I’m afraid I can’t spare mine,” said Gilfre, much to the disappointment of the girl. “Half a day?.... Oh wow,” the girl mumbled. She then looked at Gelunok. “Let’s get a move on then?” She asked him. He shrugged and nodded in response. 

As the two left the mill, Gilfre waved goodbye. The duo then began the long trek to Darkwater Crossing. It was a slow and exhausting endeavor. Chilali would find herself wondering on more than one occasion how her large friend could stand walking so far while carrying a heavy-looking bag. She kept her complaining silent though. As her legs began to tremble from tiredness, she desperately wished that they would by some miracle, encounter a car or even one of those Amish horse-buggies. Anything would be better than moving on foot. She also wished that she could find somebody with a phone, but she knew that was a fruitless effort. Still no power lines in sight, as she looked around the landscape they traversed. ‘This place is a dead-zone,’ is a thought that replayed in her head.  
To keep from dying of boredom, she would shift her attention to her voiceless companion. She looked up at him, her eyes trailing over him. His pale skin and hair were striking. Even his ears were interesting, which were pointed at the tip. It brought to mind the image of cosplayers she’s seen before, who dressed like elves. She found herself stifling a laugh as she suddenly thought of him as some sort of elf on steroids, given his stature and muscles. She then quickly averted her gaze when she saw his pale eyes cut in her direction as he seemed to question what amused her. “Sorry, I was just thinking of something,” she said to him. He didn’t respond and simply focused his gaze back at the path.

After a while of silence, he put his arm out and made the girl stop walking. He then looked around for a moment. He found a spot for them to rest, in a clearing of grass, near some tree stumps. He sat down on a stump and rested his legs. She joined him, sitting on one that was across from him. She sighed and unzipped her boots. She then removed them and rubbed her feet briefly. “Ugh, all this walking sucks,” she mumbled. She put her shoes back on once her feet weren’t tired anymore. While she did this, Gelunok was preoccupied with chewing a portion of dried meat that he had packed. He extended the piece towards her, offering it. She shrugged and took it, eating what was left. She then saw the man pull an old fashioned water skin out of his bag and begin to drink. She huffed quietly and looked at her satchel. She grumbled and reached into it despite knowing she saw nothing inside it. To her slight surprise the bag glowed as it had the previous day and her arm disappeared into it. She then pulled her arm out, now holding a thermos. She looked confused and shook her head. She still didn’t understand how this was happening but wasn’t going to turn down the drink. She took a sip of the thermos and was relaxed as cold water rushed down her throat. She then put the thermos back into her bag, watching curiously as the object vanished in the void of the satchel. She sighed and tried not to think too hard about it. She soon found herself yawning as she sat on the former tree. Gelunok sighed in response and then frowned, shaking his head. There was no time for naps right now. They had to keep moving. He then made her get up and they resumed their journey.

They did not stop again until the sun had began to set, much to the annoyance of the smaller of the pair. Exhausted by now, she could barely stand anymore. Gelunok had taken to carrying her as she was slowing down their progress towards the settlement. They were nearly there, the lights of the settlement were on the horizon. He focused on finding a place to rest for now. They can finish the trek tomorrow. After finally finding a suitable clearing, he sat the girl down on a fallen log and left her while he gathered wood to build a fire. By the time he finished making the fire, he noticed that Chilali had fallen asleep sitting up. The orc rolled his eyes at the girl and then reached in his backpack. Luckily he had thought to pack a bed roll, but he unfortunately only had one. They would have to share to avoid freezing out in the evening air. He carefully laid the girl down on the roll. He then removed her satchel from her side and sat it beside his backpack. She simply curled up on the roll, clearly tired. He hesitantly joined her. He hadn’t slept beside anybody in a long time, so it was a bit awkward. He soon relaxed though, his body spooned against hers, keeping her warm. He sighed quietly. He eventually joined her in slumber, his snoring filling the night air. He felt somewhat content as he slept. He would hopefully have found this girl the help that she needs, by tomorrow’s end.


	6. Strange Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo finally arrives at Darkwater Crossing and find the elf that Gilfre told them to meet. Soon after, Chilali realizes just how lost she is.

Morning arrived slowly as our duo remained asleep, huddled together from the previous night’s chilly air. The rising sunlight was beginning to warm them more than their shared body heat had done. The strong-armed orc had ceased spooning with the young lady at some point during the night and was now sleeping with her on his chest, holding her like a teddy bear. The arrangement was comfortable for a while, but soon the girl found the situation very unfortunate. She awoke before her large toothed associate and desperately tried to wiggle herself free. Being so close to a man was very… odd, for this girl, plus he had a bad case of morning breath. She grumbled and huffed softly as she pushed against his chest, trying to get off of him. She eventually wiggled free of his grasp. Once free of Gelunok’s hold, Chilali got up and stretched, letting out a relieved sigh. She glanced around briefly. She hadn’t really remembered where exactly they fell asleep.

Their makeshift camp was positioned close to the river side. Their fire had died out, but the morning sun kept off the chill. Their bags were lazily placed not too far away from the now-dead fire pit. Birds could be heard singing somewhere in the trees, along with the other sounds of nature. Everything was rather peaceful at the moment. While enjoying the peace, the girl excused herself from the camp and made her way to the river. She decided to wash up in the cool water, using a large rag that she had found inside of her friend’s bag. While she was busy removing two days worth of grime, she failed to notice her friend’s awakening.

Gelunok woke to an empty space next to him. He sat up and huffed, rubbing his eyes. He quickly looked around as he climbed to his feet, momentarily fearing that the odd young lady in his care had gotten into trouble. He began to do a slight run, looking for her. He soon skidded to a halt when he caught sight of the red-brown form wading in the river, in the middle of a cleanse. He quickly turned heel and went back to camp. He shook his head and grumbled mentally as he started to gather their things together. He felt a twinge of shame for having intruded on her, although it had been an accident. He felt slight relief in knowing that she had not seen him watching. The sight was very brief, so he decided to just stay quiet about the situation. It’s not like he could tell her accidentally anyway. So he decided to act like nothing was wrong. To further remove the memory from his mind, he focused on food. He made breakfast while he waited for her to return. To be more accurate, he threw an axe at a fox that had run through the camp and was now cooking the decapitated vixen over the rekindled fire.

Chilali soon returned, no longer dirt covered, although still wearing the same outfit she arrived at the shack in. She smelled food and quickly ran over to see what it was. She jolted slightly and scrunched her face once she realized what was on the fire. “A fox?” she mumbled while glancing at Gelunok. He simply nodded in return. She sighed and shrugged. “Well maybe it’ll be better than a saber toothed cat,” she said while gagging jokingly. The man rolled his eyes and silently chuckled at her displeasure in the food he's given her so far. He could probably find her more fitting meals once they’ve made it to Darkwater Crossing. After breakfast, the two went back onto the road and headed for the mining settlement.

* * *

The pair eventually arrived at the mining settlement, Darkwater Crossing. This settlement turned out to be a fortified encampment. The location was not incredibly big but held many homes, a small farm, along with a general store and a tavern/inn. The younger of the two travelers could only tell which buildings were houses though. She could guess what the other buildings were from the architecture, but couldn’t tell the names of any of them. She made a mental note to learn whatever this damn language is properly at some point. For now though, she simply followed behind her large companion, staying close to him for a while. Her gaze wandered as they moved. She saw the residents of the settlement watching the two of them. She took in their appearances, her gaze slightly quizzical. Everyone seemed strange to her, the townspeople all being tall and burly, like they were all vikings or something similar. Even the women that she was were burly and broad armed. It was a slight shock.

Her attention was taken away from her people-watching when shesaw that Gelunok had gotten away from her. The pale giant of a man was hurriedly scribbling in a notebook while trying to get townspeople to acknowledge him. She quickly ran over to him. As she approached, she noticed that many of the people gave him dirty looks or simply ignored him. She saw him hang his head slightly, in either defeat or the contain his anger at the rudeness of these people. She soon rejoined his side, now holding one of his hands, ignoring the confused glance that he gave her. She sighed and looked up at him. “Some people are just pricks. Maybe we’ll find help inside somewhere instead?” She asked. The man nodded in agreement and then tugged her into a large building. 

Her eyes widened softly as they entered the candlelit building. Her mind raced with curiosity and wonder at the new location. It looked like a very old-fashioned inn of some kind, based on the way the interior is set up. It reminded her of the Ren Faire but far more authentic, of course. She actually admired how rustic the place looked. She was distracted from the decor when she noticed two gray-skinned men talking to each other, across the room. She separated from her friend and approached the two, not quite sure what to say or even how to feel. Their appearance was bizarre, their gray skin, reddish eyes, sharp features and pointed ears standing out in the crowd. “Excuse me,” asked the girl, quietly, “would either of you happen to be… dark elves?” She inquired, remembering what the woman had told her the previous day. “I’m looking for a dark elf named Sondas.” The elder of the two men answered.“Yes I am. Sondas Drenim, at your service. And this here is my nephew, Meieran,” he said, gesturing to the younger gray-man seated at the table with him. “And now… who might you be,?” Sondas asked, his ruby eyes trailing as he gave that little lady a quick once-over. 

“My name is Chilali Micheals,” she said, “and this Gilfre lady told me that you could maybe help me out?” After that response, Sondas raised a brow skeptically. He seemed a bit intrigued. “Is that so? Well, I do know Gilfre. She’s a good woman, works hard,” he said, he then tilted his head slightly, “but how do you know her?” he questioned. The girl then looked turned and gestured at Gelunok, who was now coming back to her side. “I don’t know her, exactly. But Gelunok here does. He had asked her for help but she recommended you instead.” 

Sondas simply nodded slightly while the girl had spoken to him. His eyes then drifted upwards to the face of the tall orc beside her. He now directed a curious gaze at him. “Well then… explain your little ward’s problem and I’ll see if I can be of any help, sera,” he said to him. He then watched as the orc hurriedly wrote onto the paper in his notebook. He then took the paper after it was handed to him. He looked perplexed as he read the statement that he received, silently. The note was written as follows:

> I found her outside my home two about… two days ago. Saved her from a saber cat that was chasing her. She’s apparently separated from her family. I believe that she’s some sort of noble, given her jewels, but I have yet to figure out where her homeland is. I hardly know more than her name and the fact that she can’t read.

After Sondas finished reading the note, he glanced at between them. He thought briefly before answering. “She’s separated from her kin?” was his first question. He then looked back at the young lady. “I’ve been around a lot, perhaps I’ve heard of your homeland. Can you tell me what it is?”

“I am from California… in America,” Chilali said to him. Her response did not seem to do much good though. Sondas shook his head and looked down at her incredulously. “I’ve never heard of any such places, sera…” He then abruptly turned towards his nephew, who’d been silent for most of this conversation. “Meieran, go see if you can find a world map for me? I want to check something.” The younger elf then stood up and bowed. “Right away, uncle,” he said before running away. He returned soon after, a paper rolled in his hand. He then laid it on the table. “Thanks, boy,” Sondas said with a half smile. He then spread open the map before gesturing for Chilali to come closer. He then said to her, “here’s a map of the world, just point out where you’re from. Perhaps I’ve just not heard of your home before.” 

She did as told as looked at the map, her eyes slightly squinted as she felt confused. The map was nothing like any she’d seen before. This was not a map of Earth. She definitely didn’t recognize any of the continents depicted, even without understanding the names. “No… no, no,” she mumbled, her breathing slightly elevated. Sondas and the other two men looked at her in concern. She felt Gelunok touch her shoulder in a concerned manner. Her gaze was still fixated on the map. “This… isn’t Earth,” she said in shock. “What’s...Earth? Sera, this is a map of Nirn, like I said. Are you feeling okay?” Sondas said, looking at her like she was crazy or a stupid child. The action definitely did not help her feel any better. 

She had assumed that she’d been kidnapped and sent to some strange anti-modern society. She had never entertained the idea that she was actually in some other world. That would explain the weirdness of everything that's happened to her though. The talk of elves and such.. She then thought of the strange old man from the faire. He was the one who sent her here. “th...the man..the lake,” she mumbled softly in her panic. She realized that the lake must have been some sort of portal. She really was on a different planet. It was a major shock to the system. She felt lightheaded. She soon saw stars and then nothing. She fainted right there on the wooden floor, startling the three men in her company, along with the other people in the inn. 


	7. Facing Facts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chilali wakes up and faces the truth, that she is really never getting home. She tries to make the most of the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m having bad writer’s block, which isn’t good when combined with family troubles. I will try to get into a regular scheduling rhythm soon.

Chilali was in the darkness again. It was different than the first void she found herself in before breaching into this strange land. Her mind was cloudy yet cluttered , thoughts rushing through a layer of fog. Everything was a blur of emotions until she awoke once more. 

She did not remain unconscious for very long but her head seemed to hurt more, this time around. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, finding herself in a bed. She felt confused for a moment but upon turning her head, she saw the concerned orc sitting at her bedside. She then remembered what had happened. She let out a very long sigh and groaned under her breath. She just looked at him for a moment and noticed that he was asleep. She tilted her head as she got a good look at him. Since she knows that she really isn’t on earth anymore, it started to make more sense as to why he looked so bizarre. She still couldn’t really tell what sort of creature he was though. He looked like an elf of some sort but also vaguely reminded her of an ogre, with his stature, strength and large hands. “What… are you?” She asked aloud without realizing it.

The sound of her voice was apparently enough to wake him, as his eyes snapped open and he turned to her. He looked relieved that she was okay. He placed a hand on her head and sighed, his brow furrowed for a moment. She felt that he was thinking ‘don’t scare me like that again,’ which in turn made her reflexively mutter apologies. “Sorry for um….fainting,” she said to him with a slightly sheepish expression. He simply let go of her and shook his head as he gave a silent chuckle. He stood up and was about to grab his notebook to write in before remembering that his little companion can’t read. He sighed defeatedly before walking back to his chair and sitting down again. He sat facing the bed and stretched before focusing on her again. He started to speak in signs. His face expressed concern as he formed a question: {Are you okay?} 

“Huh? Yeah... yeah—“ she had started to say. She then paused and sighed, shaking her head. “Actually... no. Not at all, if I’m being honest.” The question earned panic from her friend. He hurriedly looked over her body and checking her head, afraid that she had an injury of some sort. The reaction simply caused the girl to giggle quietly. “I just meant, like, emotionally,” she corrected. He stopped his panicked examination soon after she said that. He then sat silently as the girl continued to speak. “I mean... I’ve just found out that—“ she said before cutting herself short. She wasn’t sure how to explain her situation. “well it’s hard to explain.” 

Gelunok sighed and tried to think of how to convey his message to her. He silently cursed the barriers that his lack of voice, combined with her illiteracy, caused them. He fumbled his fingers, having forgotten most of the few signs that the girl had taught him. It was tricky, having to speak using hands. He tried to form a proper sentence to her. {I will listen} is all that he could muster, but it seemed to do the trick.

His diminutive companion slowly started to speak again. “If you say so,” Chilali started off saying, “I’m not… from… this world.” She paused to see his reaction. He looked confused but he let her continue. “I’m from a planet called Earth. It’s very, very different from here… and I have no idea how, or even if, I can get back. I ended up here after some strange man pushed me into a lake. It must’ve been a portal of some kind because I woke up in a pond not far from your shack. It’s crazy, I know… but it’s true,” she said. She felt a bit of relief for having told him, but also felt an odd sensation of...shame? Something about having explained lost and trapped that she is, had made her feel vulnerable. She noticed that he was being very quiet and sank back in a nervous manner, in response.

* * *

‘Crazy...’ ran through this orc’s head. ‘This girl is crazy’. That was his initial thought, but when Gelunok really thought about it, he supposed that it made sense. After all, she doesn’t look like any other humans, she’s got a strange accent and her clothing was out of place too. Plus, he did find her right outside of his home, with no signs of where she could have came from. Maybe the Gods really did drop her at his feet? No matter the reason, he did not exactly care. He knew that he just wanted to keep her safe until she found her help, but he now knows that she’ll never get it. He has an even stronger urge to protect her now. So far from home… A pretty, misplaced little doll like her wouldn’t make it on her own. He needs to protect her. He couldn’t sit by and let her come to harm.

He stopped his internal monologue when he noticed her now standoffish look. He felt bad for taking so long to respond to her. He didn’t try to sign. He didn’t know enough words to describe what he was thinking anyway. He simply pulled Chilali into a hug, holding her tightly. He sighed and patted her back gently. He could feel her relax in his grasp.

“Does this mean you believe me?” he heard her ask. He slowly nodded his head in response. Yes. Yes, he believes her and he will do his best to protect this otherworldly damsel for as long as he can. He then relaxed after he heard her say “thank you.”

* * *

The dyad’s embrace lingered a tad too long. They failed to pull apart before the room’s door was opened. Meirean had just walked in, a tray in his arm. He looked towards the two, his eyes widened slightly. “....Sorry to interrupt?” he said awkwardly.

The two quickly scrambled apart. Gelunok shook his head and made an x with his arms for a second, trying to prevent the elf from getting the wrong idea. Chilali then chimed in, “We were just talking. Nothing was happening,” she said.

The dark elf chuckled and shook his head. “It’s okay.” he remarked. He then cleared his throat and sat the tray down on a table. “At any rate, I was just bringing you some things to help, sera,” he said while looking at the girl.

“...Oh? Thanks— hey what’s... sera? You keep calling me that,” she inquired.

Meirean then raised an eyebrow briefly before answering. “It’s just a form of respect. We try to be polite to new people,” he explained. He then directed his attention to the tray he had set down. “Anyway, I brought a bit of food and a few tonics, since we didn’t know if you were ill or not.”

Chilali then got out of the bed and inspected the tray. She looked pleasantly surprised. Instead of the odd foods that she’d had before, like cat or fox, she saw a plate of salmon and leeks. She also eyed the ‘tonics’ that were mentioned. Three small glass bottles were on the tray. Each bottle contained a different colored liquid: red, blue and green. She wondered what they were for. She picked the red bottle up, unable to read the name, but the heart emblem made her assume it was possibly medicine. She sat it back down and then looked back at Meirean. “Thanks,” she said. He bowed and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “You’re welcome. I grew the vegetables myself. I’ve been told they’re very good,” he told her. Once the girl started to eat, he went over to Gelunok. “What would you like, sera? We don’t get many orcs here but I feel that everyone likes fish or pheasant. We’ve also got drink, if you prefer that.” The orc didn’t respond, much to disappointment of the elf. “...Quiet, aren’t you?” Meirean asked.

“Oh, he... can’t talk. He’s mute,” Chilali said while mid-chew. 

“Oh?.... My apologies,” the elf said to the orc. “I’ll just bring something out and then we’ll see if you like it,” he explained. He then left the room. He later returned with a tray of food. However, instead of the colorful tonics and fish of this one, this tray had a pile of there was a tankard of some frothy drink. The orc looked pleased after receiving the food, he looked content. He immediately began to shovel his face. “I take it that you enjoy the food?” The elf inquired, earning a nod in response. He then bowed and dismissed himself, leaving the two to their meals.

* * *

A while after they finished eating, Chilali felt much better. She was still inwardly distraught over her whole ‘trapped in a different world’ predicament, but she wasn’t going to just hide in a room forever. So it was decided that she and her friend would have a look around the inn. They ventured into the main hall and saw that the building had grown somewhat crowded. It was late afternoon, the girl would note, judging from the angle of the sun pouring in through the windows. She glanced around and saw many patrons enjoying themselves. Gelunok apparently wasn’t fond of the bustling surroundings, as he picked a table furthest away from everyone, for he and Chilali to sit at. After they’d been sitting for a while, Meirean came over to them.

“Hello again, you two,” the elf said. He then turned his gaze to the girl. “You’re feeling better now, hm?” She nodded in agreement, which seemed to please him. “Can I get you two some more food while you’re in here, or perhaps just drinks?”

Chilali glanced at Gelunok briefly. The orc responded with a shrug and a nod. “Sure,” the girl then said as she looked back at Meirean. 

“Great,” the elven man exclaimed. “I’ll fetch some ale and be right back.” He soon returned with three separate bottles of ale. He sat them down on the table before pulling up an extra chair. “I hope me taking a break right now won’t be an inconvenience,” he said, his gaze focused on Chilali. She answered softly, “We wouldn’t mind.” She then glanced towards her companion. “Right?” He then responded with a nod of his head. This pleased the elf, it would appear. He took a sip of the drink and sighed quietly. He had an expression like he wished to discuss something. “Now that I have time to talk,” he said, “I had some questions for you two.” He then placed some clean paper and a quill in front of Gelunok. 

The pair looked at Meirean skeptically, but didn’t object to the inquiries. They would soon found themselves bombarded by questions from the surprisingly chatty elf. He started off with a simple query, “Can you explain what exactly was the matter when you arrived?.... My uncle’s just brushed you two off as strange but I personally feel there’s more to that fainting spell earlier.” The question made the duo feel uncomfortable. Should they really explain the outlandish nature of the previous events? They hesitated for a moment. They then heard the elf speak up once more. “If I can, I really feel like I should help you,” he said. After silently thinking things over, they came to an agreement. Chilali sighed as she started to speak. “It’s… complicated, and… unbelievable, but I’ll tell you.” She then cleared her throat before adding, “It’s gonna sound crazy.”

The young woman explained the bizarre circumstances of her situation to Meirean. The dunmer was clearly shocked, and confused, given the expressions his face displayed. He did not interrupt the tale though. He simply mused it over, silently. He finally started to respond after a while. “That is certainly a crazy story. But it makes sense, to me at least. It explains why you looked so lost when you examined the map, and I don’t blame you for fainting. Being lost in a strange land and then to discover it’s an entirely different world? I would have gone insane if I were in your place,” he said, ending with a dry chuckle.

The girl then sighed in relief at someone else believing her. “Thank you for understanding—“ she said, cutting herself short. Her brow furrowed in thought. She was grateful but also taken aback by how accepting her two male associates are. “Tell me _why_... Why do you believe me?” She asked. “Where I’m from, talking about other worlds and magical men— you’d get tossed in an asylum.” 

Meirean offered a shrug in response. “Magic is not myth in this world, sera. Unlike yours, it’s a fact that many worlds exist. It’s not really that hard to accept…. you do feel glad that we understand you, yes?” His question was answered by the girl nodding her head. Once satisfied with her response, he went on to offer to the pair some aid. “I know that you have nowhere to go, Miss,” he said to the girl, “but you’re welcome to stay in Darkwater for as long as you need to. The settlement’s big enough for more residents. I can help you adjust to life here, but I must let you know that you’ll have to work. Everyone of age must pull their own weight around here.” He then looked towards the orc. “Sir, if you like, you can stay as well. I feel you wouldn’t want to part from your little friend. With your strong arms, you could make a lot of money for helping at the mine.” He then ended with one last question. “Does that sound good?” He was met with nodding heads once more. He smiled as he saw them both agree to stay.

Once it was decided that the pair would take up residence in the settlement, Meirean gave them a proper tour of the little mining town. He showed them where the shops were and who ran them. He gave a tour of the local farm, and ended by coming back to the inn. After all was said and done, night had settled in. He had a talk with the innkeeper and told him that the duo had nowhere to go. They were given a bigger room, since they will be live-ins now. The room had two beds, a sturdy closet and a table. The duo had grown tired after walking around the town. They yawned softly upon seeing their sleeping quarters. Meirean chuckled softly to himself. “It’s getting late. I suppose you’ll want to drift off now, and wake up early to properly settle into your new home. If you need anything, just call. Goodnight,” he said. He then closed the door before walking away.

The smaller member of the drowsy dyad soon fell asleep, having practically jumped into bed. Gelunok stayed awake for a while longer. He thought to himself in silence. This was certainly not how he had expected things to go today. He thought he would have found someone to pass the young woman off to, but things took a major turn. He sighed softly. ‘Perhaps things are better this way,’ he thought. He’d been lonely for a long time, and now had someone to keep him company, someone who he felt that he may call a friend. He smiled softly at the idea of true friendship before chuckling at himself, his brow scrunched. He never would have considered growing attached to her, if this had happened in his days at his stronghold. He brushed the thought aside and yawned. He laid down his head, his gaze still set on the girl. He made himself a promise. He’d make her strong. She needs to be so, if order to survive in this world. He decided he would begin his mission once morning comes.


	8. Lessons to Learn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The little lady finally learns some useful skills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Sign language will be written in the format show in this chapter, from now on, instead of being shown in brackets

Night passed and as morning came to Darkwater Crossing, the orcish man rose early. Gelunok had an eventful day planned. Having decided that his diminutive companion needed help adjusting to her new life, he wanted to do all he can to help her. The orc knew he’d have to start off with very simple things. The girl clearly had no experience in this area, so he would have his work cut out for him. For now though, Gelunok just wanted to get the day started. However, nothing could begin until the girl awakens. Glancing over at Chilali as she slept, he noted that the sight of her slumbering form was oddly pleasant, with a peaceful expression. She slept on her side with her face slightly obscured by her hair. He also took note that her hair had begun to curl up over the few days he’s been in her company. She then began snoring loudly in a manner which detracted from all thoughts of her previously gentle appearance. Amused by the conflict of visual and sound, Gelunok found himself laughing silently. 

Chilali eventually awoke, unaware of having been stared at. She yawned and brushed some of her bicolored tresses from her face. Once her eyes were focused, her attention was directed to her friend. “Good morning,” she said in a slightly groggy tone. Her stomach grumbled quietly. The sound irritated her slightly as she covered her belly, in an attempt to muffle the sound. 

The over enthusiastic orc stood up quickly, which startled the girl slightly. ‘Food?’ was the question that he formed with his hands. His inquiry was met with exuberant nodding. He then responded with ‘Good’ and abruptly left the room. He was gone for a long while. When he did return, he carried with him a heaping tray of food. This seemed to amuse his companion, judging by the giggling she emitted.

“Thanks,” she said softly. Her still slightly tired gaze trailed from the orc and fell upon the tray of food. She stood up and then sat down at their table, eyeing the array of food. The tray held a pile of salted pork, eggs, strawberries and tea. It was a nice looking spread, but she couldn’t help but miss the chocolate chip waffles she would’ve received back home. She pushed the thought away before homesickness set in, eating without much to offer in terms of conversation. After the two of them had eaten almost all of the food, she looked up at her friend and tilted her head in mild confusion. “Why such a big meal? I feel stuffed,” she said, patting her stomach for emphasis. 

‘E-n-e-r-g-y,’ Gelunok spelled quickly, his fingers flitting about. He saw that his explanation was met with more confusion, so he tried to elaborate. ‘You need be’ he started to sign, before realizing he lacked the knowledge to properly finish the sentence. He hesitated before coming up with a different movement to be his point across, without spelling it out. He then flexed his arms, his muscles shown prominently. The action earned a curt laugh from the girl in front of him.

“Sorry,” she said soon after she made the sound. “So... energy, because I need to be...strong?” She asked. The question was responded to with quick nodding. “Okay. But why in particular do I need to be strong, today?” she asked with a giggle as she flexed her chubby arms.

‘You-me,’ he signed. He then thought up another new sign. He palmed his fist, the action making a somewhat loud smack. 

“Fight?” She asked, her eyes widened slightly. “We’re gonna fight? Why?”

‘T-r-a-i-n,’ he signed back, ‘to help you.’

“Oh?” She said quietly. She thought for a moment. She supposed that made sense. She _was_ pretty chubby, with no real muscle, aside from the bit she’s gained from the occasional trip to the gym. She felt oddly surprised that this man wanted to get her strength up. She never really thought of self-defense much but this was a new world, not her homeland. She then recalled mention of this country- province, rather, was in the midst of some sort of war. Maybe she really does need the help? “Thank you,” she said. She paused, glancing over the man’s muscles before chuckling and then speaking again. “and I guess if I do have to train, it should be with a fantasy beefcake.” The choice of words made her friend look at her funny. She nervously brushed it off. “Never mind that.... Anyway! What are we gonna do exactly?”

Still confused by the earlier comment, Gelunok was extra quiet. He didn’t reply for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, dismissing the issue. He stood from the table and walked towards the door. He promptly motioned for her to follow him. He then led her outside of the inn.

* * *

Once outside, the orc led his companion on a quick trip to the nearby shops. He took her into the general store. He walked with his mind already set on buying her a weapon, but he’d soon find that wouldn’t be his only purchase. When he was distracted by the assortment of available weaponry, which was mostly axes, swords or picks, he failed to realize that Chilali wandered away from him.

The young woman was interested in the clothing that was available. Her gaze settled on a fur-lined tunic, in a cool shade of blue, paired with some trousers. She immediately took hold of the clothing and then ran back over to her friend.

Gelunok eyed the new clothing curiously for a moment before rolling his eyes. ‘Why need?’ He questioned in sign language. ‘Your clothes nice,’ he explained, gesturing at the outfit that the woman sported. The girl sported a leather top and pants, with golden buttons. To him at least, this was far nicer than the things that the shop offered. 

Chilali huffed quietly. “I need new clothes because I’ve been wearing the same thing for days and I know it’s gonna get all dirty when we spar. I’ll need a shower. Why would I wanna put the same smelly clothes back on?”

The orc scoffed at the question but didn’t refuse to get the clothes. He even found himself a new outfit. He sighed to himself as he realized this spent up most of his available coin, but he wasn’t going to complain. He could always earn more later. 

After the clothing and weaponry was bought, Gelunok led his little partner over to a clearing. It was there that he took out a small assortment of weapons to choose from. He laid out a sword, some daggers and an axe. He let the girl pick out the one she wanted. She opted on the axe. 

Once given the axe, it took her a few moments to get comfortable holding the item. The broad axe wasn’t very heavy but it was a strange task of using, all the same. The girl readied herself, getting into a defensive stance. She carefully eyed the orc as he sized her up.

‘Her form is awful,’ Gelunok thought to himself as he slowly circled the woman, a heavy sword in hand. He was curious how she could hold her own though. He knew that he wouldn’t hurt her, but he didn’t want to go too easy on her either. After a moment, he swung at her, the sword producing a hiss as it cut through the air.

Chilali dove out of the way in a panic. She wasn’t mentally ready to have a 6’10” beast-man swinging a blade at her. She quickly got back onto her feet, trying to defend herself. She blocked the next few swings, earning notches in her broad axe’s handle. Her defense was not sharp though and she soon found herself caught off guard. She felt a swift sweeping motion knock her legs out from under her. The dirt did not do much to cushion the blow of her landing on her back. The slightly sore girl flinched reflexively as she watched the orc stand over her. 

The orc lifted his opponent’s chin slightly with the tip of his blade, staring into her eyes for a moment. He saw that she looked frightened, yet… mad, or determined. Her shaky eyes were framed by a furrowed brow. He sighed and then lowered his weapon. The sword was soon lodged into the ground beside them before he helped the girl back onto her feet. 

Chilali huffed quietly as she stood back up. She felt a bit disappointed at the quick defeat, but also felt a hint of satisfaction at being able to hold her own even for a little while.

Upon noticing the determined look in the woman’s eye, he couldn’t help but chuckle. He ruffled her hair as one does when proud of a child. He then let her go and started to sign to her. ‘Not bad,’ he told her, before signing ‘Do again.’

The two then sparred again. The mock fight lasted for a while, Gelunok having Chilali get back up, every time she fell. The girl got better the longer she trained with him. She was starting to learn to dodge much better, and even landed a few hits. By the time they finished, they’d each earned some knicks and scrapes. Their faux scuffle was noticed by a few townspeople. One of the local miners had watched them spar and decided to walk over.

“You two seem like you’ve got spark,” said a strong-armed woman with dirty blonde hair. She chuckled and approached the pair. “How do you feel about using your time doing something more fun?” She inquired.

It took a moment’s thought but the duo soon agreed, Gelunok nodding his head. Chilali then spoke up. “Sure,” she said, “what did you have in mind… miss?”

“Oh please, none of that Miss business, just call me Annekke,” the woman asserted. “And I could just use some extra hands is all. There’s been a pest problem in the mines and I figured two scrappy sods like you two would be interested in the target practice.” She said. She then paused and looked at the orc, eying his muscles. “Honestly, this one here could get rid of the whole nest on his own, no doubt,” Annekke remarked. 

Chilali pouted slightly at being essentially told she wouldn’t be needed for this. “I can help!—“ she exclaimed. She then looked slightly embarrassed for raising her voice. “I mean, I could help out too. Although I’ve never actually…. killed any pests,” she admitted, “but I’ve set traps for them before… heh.”

Annekke shook her head and stifled a laugh at the eager yet clearly inexperienced young woman. “Fine, be my guest, and join the orc in the skeever killin’,” she said with an amused half smirk.

The duo then left with their weapons, heading in the direction of the mines. Once they were out of earshot of the woman, Chilali asked her companion quietly, “what’s a skeever?”

* * *

On the way to the mine, Gelunok explained to his very unworldly cohort that a skeever is a ‘very big mouse,’ having to make up another new sign-gesture to explain his thought. Knowing what they were going to be up against did not deter the lady though. She needed to prove she wasn’t completely useless. She grumbled in thought at remembering how she has just been living off of her orcish friend’s help for the past few days. She didn’t want him to think she was always going to be a damsel.

Inside of the mine, the workers were happy to have anyone deal with the infestation, even outsiders. They pointed the duo to the tunnels that had the pest problems. The tunnels were dimly lit and the air was thick, everything smelling like moist dirt and rock dust. It took them a while to actually come across the pests. There was nothing interesting to note until they discovered a nest in a large room in the mine. When they did see them though, Chilali let out a loud scream. “What the shit!?” Screeched the young woman, who stood behind her large friend. Her outburst was met with a small glare by the orc. “Sorry,” the girl mumbled. She knew that shouting could startle the beasts, but she was reasonably shocked upon seeing that Skeevers are the size of dogs. They were far bigger than she thought they would be. She was scared but didn’t turn away. Then… the skeevers attacked.

* * *

There were about four or five skeevers in this part of the tunnel. Mangy and ugly, with nasty attitudes, the skeevers lunged at the pair with ferocity. Gelunok stood in front of Chilali, fighting off the ravenous rodents. He didn’t leave her any opportunity to join in the fray. In fact, when she tried to help him, he picked her up and sat her down further away from the infestation area.

Now feeling annoyed, Chilali grumbled and fussed as she sat down on the ground. “I guess that training was a load of crap,” she mumbled. What was the point of practicing moves if she wasn’t allowed to fight anything? She just stayed there, sulking for a while. In her childishly pouty state, she failed to notice that she was being watched. A white skeever, larger than the others, had crawled out of an adjacent tunnel and snuck up behind the woman, as she sat facing her friend. The rodent was slobbering and sizing up its opponent, looking for an opportunity to strike. It then got the jump on Chilali. It sprang from its hiding place and latched onto her leg. She then let out a scream as the oversized rodent bit into her flesh. “Ah!”

She scrambled to her feet, her face contorted in anger at the predicament. She tried to shake the pest off but it wouldn’t budge, and the action was actually causing more pain. She then reached for her axe which was a few feet away on the ground.

Chilali whacked the skeever hard with the side of her axe, knocking it off of her leg. The nuisance wasn’t through with her yet though. It pounced at her again, making a hissing sound. She quickly blocked the attack with her axe handle before shoving the creature away. Then she swung her axe fast and slashed the animal in the back. The skeever let out a blood curdling screech, but wasn’t quite dead yet though. It now writhed on the ground in front of her. Fed up with the creature, and also not wishing to see it struggle, she buried her axe into its skull. Her lip turned up with a disgusted scowl. “Nasty,” she said as she promptly dislodged her weapon from the corpse’s flesh. She huffed quietly for a moment before turning her head. During her scuffle with the skeever, Gelunok had slaughtered the rest of the infestation. When he made sure that the other rodents were all dead, he ran over to make sure that his friend was okay.

Gelunok looked concerned when he ran over. He eyed the dead skeever briefly before quickly examined his friend. He saw the bite and felt upset. But the attitude that the girl had about it, made him relax a bit.

Chilali tried to brush off the situation. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said. “Besides I’m more excited over the fact that I actually got one!” She announced. She was actually surprised at herself for fighting off the beast. She bounced on her toes, ignoring the pain in her leg, still feeling happy that she did something useful. “That was oddly invigorating,” she remarked. She then felt smug. “You won’t keep putting me in time out every time I try to fight now, right?” She asked as she looked at him.

Gelunok rolled his eyes and then responded to her. ‘Okay sorry,’ he told her, looking apologetic. ‘You…’ he signed before thinking about how to word this. ‘Small, like baby bird. Made me worried,’ he admitted.

The girl felt a bit offended at the comparison but understood his concerns. “Well I guess I appreciate that you care so much,” she giggled.  
She then got distracted by a foul odor. Her face scrunched up. “Hey, let’s go back to the inn, all this skeever-stink is making me sick,” she said, punctuated by a muffled gag.

* * *

Chilali and Gelunok returned to the inn after the orc dragged all of the skeever bodies out of the mine. Once inside, Chilali walked up to the innkeeper’s counter. She stood on her toes to see over it, much to the amusement of the innkeep upon noticing the girl.

“Need something, mouse?” The man behind the counter asked.

She ignored the jab at her stature and replied simply. “Yeah, um, where’s the… washroom? I seriously need a bath,” she explained.

“That’s all? It’s down the hall, on the left,” said the innkeeper.

Once given the directions, Chilali took her new clothes and headed off down the hall. She soon found the washroom. The bath consisted of a large pool of water, with buckets, rags and soaps scattered about. She took a long bath, scrubbing herself clean of the several days worth of dirt and grime. It was an enjoyable experience despite the soaps being rather rough upon first contact. After the bath, she got dressed in her new outfit. The tunic was lined with fur on the inside and felt very warm. It fit her frame snugly, clearly having been intended for someone with less meat on their bones. She still liked how it looked though. The blue fabric on the outside of the tunic was pleasing to the eye, and the pants were surprisingly comfortable. She returned to the main hall once she was satisfied with her attire. She wasn’t sure what to do with her soiled clothing and simply stuffed them into her bottom pit of a satchel. 

Gelunok soon went to get cleaned up, after Chilali had returned. When he came back from his cleanse, he looked rather nice. His new clothes fit snug, his body being a tad wider than that of the locals, but he didn’t look sloppy. He even combed his hair. He felt calmer in the fresh duds, even though something about him and his friend being the only people in blue didn’t sit quite right with him, since everyone else had much more muddling colored clothing. He soon became distracted from his thoughts though, as he was now in need of food.

The two ate a late lunch in the main hall before Chilali decided to head to bed early. She claimed that today’s training, and the pest control job, had drained her. When she left, the orc was at a slight loss of things to do. He kept himself busy by ordering tankard after tankard of ale and then trying to get comfortable with the locals. He wasn’t a big fan of humans most of the time, since they been in a stupid war with each other for his whole life. However, the miners of Darkwater seemed social enough. Annekke even joined him in drinking for a while before engaging in a bout of drunken wrestling. 

After finally growing tired of liquor and shenanigans, Gelunok headed to his room. He opened the door quietly as not to wake up his diminutive companion. He saw her sleeping on her bed, clutching a vial that once contained a red fluid. He shook his head as he realized she had been lying when she said that she wasn’t hurt by their excursion in the mine earlier. He shrugged it off and yawned. He felt that he could use some rest too. As he got into the bed, he wondered what tomorrow could have in store. He would probably just do some more training with her, and hopefully avoid any more rodent related issues. He soon drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
